Game and Watch destroys couples. </3

[*P*L*U*R*]

Okay so I was playing at a tournament doing friendlies. For the most part, I'm an IC main BUT I play Game and Watch in tournies to if my IC isn't cutting it in doubles, which is the event I prefer to play anyways.

Anyways, I was doing singles friendlies when this one guy came up and picked IC. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I absolutely HATE Ice Climber dittos more than any match-up. I'd rather go against Peach or Marth than another IC user. Since my Mewtwo was bad that day and so was my Young Link, I decided to pick Game and Watch.

The beginning of the match was relatively even but then he grabbed me(D: ) and wobbled me to 200% -> Dthrow Dsmash Dead.

How did I respond, you ask?

cue epic man-voice:

That's the laaaaaast time you ever grab me.

ENGAGE **** MODE! I made a comeback like I've never made before. He didn't grab me for the rest of the match at all. Hell, I don't even think he took another stock.

Well, the point of my story isn't to brag but it's to discuss the match-up. Did I win because my character has the advantage or did I win because I had alot of knowledge about both characters in the match-up and I know how to exploit IC's weakness because I main them?

Let's check it out:

IC:
+
devestating grab game
a good general ground game with the 2nd longest wavedash in the game, quick smashes and good tilts
decent air game with their Bair/Uair/Fair
good crouch-cancelling counters through grabs or Dsmashes
the ability to hog the edge and smash at the same time.

GaW
+
a good anti-ground game in his Dtilt, fast jab, low cool-down Fsmash. Hell, even his aerials can be used to halt ground based approaches, like retreating FAirs/Bairs
Some of the best priority in the game. This guy's hitboxes are almost as dumb as Marth's. Yeah, they're BEEG. HYOOJ, I tell you.
Fair. I can't stress how awesome this move is.
The chute. <3
Aw **** it, his air game in general is just stupid as hell. It's awesome.
Good power on his KO moves
Good range on most of his moves



I think that Game and Watch, when he spaces propertly definitely has the tools to beat IC. In the match I played, I would constantly just focus on keeping him out of my face. He approached with a wavedash, I would retreat a FAir or a Bair into a jab. You can also spam DTilts to discourage them coming on the ground. Multi-hit moves tend to seperate IC really easily, I've noticed that more often than not, Bair desynched IC, which let me Fair Nana off stage into a Chute. If they sheild the Bair, the move usually hits their feet anyways with the grounded hitbox so that's another desynch. I believe that GaW's Uair out prioritizes thier Dair, his Utilt CERTAINLY does. Hell if you're feeling daring, you can try timing an Usmash THROUGH the Dair if you predict it(GaW's head is invincible during the Usmash, methinks) for some early KOs. Most ICs tend to Squall Hammer to recover, when they have both and are going solo. Chef intercepts that easily. But who gives a **** about chef intercepting when your can just chute their ***. ****.

Basically, Game and Watch has the tools to halt alot of their approaches, seperate them, prevent getting grabbed, kill Nana and just generally stay on the outside. That's not to say that all IC has are grabs, they have much more than that. But I think that GaW out-classes IC in almost all aspects of the match-up, which is weird, given both of their tier placements. Maybe the tiers are alot more compressed than I thought.


Sorry guys, I would add more but I kinda have to leave now. I have a date to get ready for. Still, you guys give me your opinion on the matchup.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! <3

 

[Airwalkerr]

I've found any properly spaced Game and Watch can wreck most other characters. Except a properly Spaced Swordy. **** them swordy's. I have only ever played 2 IC's that knew how to play IC, and only one with my Game and Watch. Anyhow he wrecked me first set because he forced my approach on FD, and I couldn't quite space well enough to avoid a shield grab/wave smash/death. next set I wrecked him Fountain of Dreams, desynching, as you say, and getting Nana the hell out of the situation, and then gimping that poor Popo. Third it was very even on Dreamland 64, with him getting off 2 0-deaths early, I started defense and got him to one life as well. Finally desynched them, grabbed Popo, threw him off the edge and in a situation I can only describe as epic sexy, I Judgement hammer 6 pseudo spiked him, winning it. 4 I didn't get grabbed at all, and yet he won, because he knew when to abandon his grab game and set out on desynched uber pain I finally won it all in 5, picking Corneria and hiding under the fin. He would approach, and I would find a way to parachute him to death off the short side. When I was ahead 2 stocks (he was at 1 stock, I still had 3) I sacrificed my life bucketting 3 lazer shots, and via mad mind games got him with that concoction of uber death. But yea, in short, a smart defensive, well spaced game and watch has the one up in this match-up.

 

[The Phenom]

About the Dtilt:
-Yes, the Dtilt plays a psychological roll in Game&Watch's defense system which is a unique defensive system =) .

About spacing:
-Yes, spacing...spacing is most important of all and you should mostly concentrate on spacing your Dtilts; G&W should be played more as a defensive character; since ICs' are inclined to wanting to grab you, they do have the tendency to come at you all the time with there rapid long distance wavedash and Dtilt will make them approach differently.

About Big Hit boxes:
-Yes, use those moves in the air; when your opponents are in the air, exception with Dair.

Edit: A way about GIMPING the IC's with Dsmash:
-When they are recovering back to the stage with there SideB, run to Dsmash; well, you have better options but this is just awesome.
---------
CLASS OF 2009!!!

 

[*P*L*U*R*]

The only problem is, I need to go against a Game and Watch on my skill level(the only other people that play GaW that I know are leagues better than I) that knows alot about his character in order to solidify this theory. THe IC I played against didn't have NEARLY the knowledge of IC that I have, since I've been playing them for so long. I know alot of little nuances about the character and how to exploit their weaknesses.

The problem in that is that if I go against another GaW, I'll probably ditto him because GaW dittos are so **** fun. XD

 

[Dark Hart]

I'll G&W ditto you, Chris.

 

[The Phenom]

My opinion on G&W dittos: I HATE G&W DITTOS!!!
- there can only be ONE. But I'll let them have it so they can enjoy it; NOT ME...

I adhere with the Game&Watch in Melee since I'm all about challenge and don't usually go to tournaments so it's good enough to just play G&W vs. the group of smashers I play with which are 7 of them; good enough.

I predicted a myriad of G&W players before Brawl's release; this idea though was in Melee's all-star mode where you have to fight 99 Game&Watchs'; there is so much more to it than this of course. I thought Nintendo would make it a more balanced game or fairer for the characters in Melee who were placed in tier levels that nobody would play; the problem is I'm a one of kind person so I don't play Brawl because of this let alone reason.
---------
CLASS OF 2009!!!

 

[INSANE CARZY GUY]

the ice climbers have a better hammer and don't forget you can't grab them due to slow throws and it's wield they both have a powerful ground game and strong airs but kind of weird (G&W's is faster other than upair and bair) so w&w must worry about grabs and dash attack and anything else that hits you up

 

[Binx]

The thing about GnW is that he isn't quite as fast as Marth, and doesn't have quite the range, so certain things that aren't punishable at all vs Marth, retreating Fairs, become punishable on GnW, if you predict the aerial you can time wavedashes to catch him with grabs, also the timing on dash dancing and grabbing when he approaches with fair is easier as well, also vs his dtilt you still have the same fair option you have vs Marth.

I'd say the match is more even than most people give it credit for, but the thing is, that Ice Climbers grab game is really, really good, and GnW still doesn't have any exceptional options when he grabs Ice Climbers, like Marth does, so ICs can shield camp all day

IC vs Marth - Marth grabs quickly forward throws into the other climber, continues pressure
IC vs G n W - GnW grabs and quickly gets dsmashed by the climber he didn't grab before he can do ANYTHING.

Yes, its true, properly spaced attacks from GnW can shut down grabs, but your grab game is shut down also, we both have similar range, similar damage, similar floatiness, GnW has a slighlty better recovery, although it's just as easy to edgeguard. But Ice Climbers have better ground speed, a better grab punishment game IF we do manage to land one, and a better pressure game when Nana is around. Also when Nana is around Ice Climbers do more damage, so the reward is higher when we guess right, so basically if we predict anything but another fair after a fair we can beat it with a fair of our own, if we predict a fair that retreats we can add more pressure, if we predict a fair that approaches we can dash dance grab, also GnW isn't very fast so its safer to roll away from him to avoid bair pokes.

All in all I think its sort of close to even but ICs have more damage and as I said earlier a way better punishing game.

 

[Dark Hart]

Speaking of Marth, G&W's down-tilt has a larger hit-box than Marth's F-Smash...

 

[*P*L*U*R*]

Speaking of Marth, G&W's down-tilt has a larger hit-box than Marth's F-Smash...

I call BS. My GaW vs your MArth at License to Bill. I need proof.